■Head to head: This is the first of two meetings. The teams split two games last season, winning on each other’s home court.

■Miscellany: Coach Mike Brown returns to the bench after serving a one-game suspension Monday for making contact with a game official . . . Former BU head coach and Celtics assistant John Kuester acted as head coach in that game, which Los Angeles lost at Philadelphia . . . The Lakers also lost to Utah Saturday night . . . Guard Steve Blake is out with a rib injury.